Vindicate Me, Father
Of David.
David asks to be examined, his heart and mind tested and refined, because he has stayed clear of deceitful company and of hands full of bribes. What he wants is not a verdict but a place: the house where his Father's glory rests.
26 1Vindicate me, my Father, for I have walked in my integrity, and in my Father I have trusted without wavering.
2Examine me, my Father, and test me; refine my heart and my mind. 3For your covenant love is before my eyes, and I live by your faithfulness.
4I do not sit with deceitful men, nor keep company with hypocrites. 5I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. 6I wash my hands in innocence, and I go around your altar, my Father, 7proclaiming my thanks aloud, and telling of all your wondrous deeds.
8My Father, I love the house where you dwell, the place where your glory rests.
9Do not sweep away my soul with sinners, nor my life with violent men, 10in whose hands are wicked schemes, and whose right hands are full of bribes. 11But as for me, I live with integrity; redeem me and be gracious to me.
12I stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless my Father.
